Police foot-patrols measure to go before voters

Supervisors Chris Daly and Sean Elsbernd, among the Board of Supervisors’ best parliamentarian tacticians, put on a great show at City Hall Tuesday over placement of a proposed measure on the November ballot.

Every time Daly tried to push the proposal forward for a vote, Elsbernd, who opposes the proposal, tried a legislative Hail Mary to push consideration until next week — past the deadline to get it on the November ballot.

The verbal back and forth had the feel of a cut-throat ping-pong match with Board of Supervisors President David Chiu playing the role of reluctant referee.

Sean Elsbernd

The city attorney was consulted; supervisors who hold law degrees weighed in with their interpretations; and in the end Chiu referred to Robert’s Rules of Order — the bible for meeting conduct — to cut off Elsbernd’s attempted filibuster. Chiu said Elsbernd was engaging in ”dilatory motions” to ”obstruct or thwart the will of the assembly.”

The board then got to vote on the proposed ballot measure and passed it 7-4.

Joining Mirkarimi, Daly and Chiu in favor were Supervisors John Avalos, David Campos, Eric Mar and Sophie Maxwell. Opposed were Elsbernd and Supervisors Michela Alioto-Pier, Carmen Chu and Bevan Dufty.

In addition to addressing foot beats, the ballot measure, opposed by Mayor Gavin Newsom and Police Chief George Gascon, also contains a so-called poison pill: Should it garner more votes than a Newsom-sponsored ballot measure that would prohibit people from sitting or lying on public sidewalks, the Newsom measure would be voided even if voters approved it.